Requests
by ncfan
Summary: Ino's been rejected again; I can see it in the look in her eyes.


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

She has been rejected again; Shizune can see it plainly enough in the angry set of her jaw and the hurt pride in her pale blue eyes. Tsunade's stinging dismissal rings sharply in Shizune's ears without having ever heard the words.

This is the third time Ino's come; it's been about a month since the first time. She's asked the same thing, and has been denied the same way every single time.

_What's so bad about Ino-san leaning medical ninjutsu that Tsunade-sama refuses to teach her every time she asks?_

Before Shizune knows it, and without having really intended to, she's putting that question to Tsunade herself in her mistress' spacious sunlit office.

Tension hangs thick and suffocating between them, throbbing in the air, before Tsunade chooses to answer. "I don't think she shows a great deal of promise."

_But I nearly said the same thing about Sakura-san before she started training, and now look at her._

The slightly defensive tone the Hokage takes is one Shizune knows all too well. She's heard it in bars and hotels; it's practically identical to the inflections utilized when Tsunade defends her destructive gambling habits and frequent drinking binges, trying to cloak sin with leisure.

Shizune frowns, feeling her eyes go slightly sad despite herself. Ever since Jiraiya and Naruto left (Shizune hopes they will show back up for the Chunin exams in two months time, but she isn't holding her breath), Tsunade's been reverting back to her old habits and excuses, and it's painfully apparent that she's not entirely sober; her light brown eyes are bloodshot, her cheeks slightly pale. The powerful, acrid smell of sake going stale is in evidence, wafting to her. As ever, Shizune fights not to gag.

"How can you know she has no potential, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asks quietly (always tread softly when dealing with one with a hangover), trying not to fidget with the skirt of her yukata. "Even if her reserves are paltry, Ino-san has excellent chakra control and she learns quite quickly—"

Tsunade raises a hand to quiet her, shaking her head. Said hand almost immediately flies to her forehead, rubbing her temples furiously (her eyes crinkle in pain), and with her free hand reaches under her desk for the omnipresent bottle of sake; Shizune eyes it with loathing. "I've just…got a bad feeling. Besides, my hands are tied training Sakura; I haven't got the time to do all this blasted paperwork _and_ train another student from scratch."

It's a lie and they both know it; the sadness in Shizune's eyes and the slightly rigid position of Tsunade's flawless face displays the truths left unsaid.

Shizune silently bows out of the room, her shoes clicking forlornly against the polished wooden floors; the last thing she sees before closing the door is Tsunade taking a deep draught from the bottle in her manicured hands.

The medic sighs and rubs her forehead with her hand as she stops and leans against the wall. Tsunade's reasons for refusing to train Ino make absolutely no sense o her. The young Yamanaka is actually a good candidate for becoming a medical kunoichi; her fine chakra control is superb, and she's eager to learn.

_There's no reason why Ino-san shouldn't be taught, but Tsunade-sama's rejecting her on a whim. She wants to become a medic for the same reasons Sakura-san did, to become an asset to her team instead of a burden, and to be able to take care of her teammates. What makes them so different that Tsunade-sama immediately agrees to take on Sakura but dismisses Ino out of hand? _Shizune thinks angrily. _It's so silly, and quite frankly pretty mean-spirited to show such a bias._

Shizune gnaws on her lip contemplatively, twirling a senbon in her hand as she thinks. _I suppose I could always train her myself…_

It's an appealing thought; Shizune doesn't have a whole lot of spare time on her hands (Tsunade has many more empty hours to squander than her attendant/secretary/aide/general eyes and ears), but she likes to keep busy if she can. And she's maxed out on overtime (again), and has a few days leave coming.

_But what will Tsunade-sama think?_ a small, unwanted voice pipes up. _She refused to train Ino-san; what will she say if you train her?_

_Enough! I don't have to explain myself to her! What I do on my own time is none of Tsunade's business!_ Shizune is a little shocked by the vehemence of her words, never processing that the voice her inner voice takes sounds quite a lot like a cross between Sakura and her mother (whose voice she can hardly remember in the first place); she tucks the senbon away and raises a hand to her heart to steady her pulse.

_I'll ask her during my lunch break. I just hope she says yes._

.x.X.x.

While moodily attacking a bowl of cherry tomatoes, Ino hears a soft knock on the door.

She traipses across the living room to answer the door, and is met by a swish of black linen and a sweet smile on pale skin.

"Ino-san?"


End file.
